


i'd even trade these words (for sticks and stones)

by Leech24



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Michelle Jones, Bullying, Cyber-Bullying, Emotional Manipulation, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Midtown Tech High School, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Precious Peter Parker, Teenagers are assholes, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24035041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leech24/pseuds/Leech24
Summary: Peter doesn't talk to all his classmates, in fact, he only ever talks to Ned and MJ. But when he's confronted in the locker room by a guy he's never talked to, he finds out that they've all been talking about him.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 13
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Was really in the mood for a good Peter Parker and Flash Thompson fic. I can never find a sophisticated portrayal of Flash, where his bullying is subtle and psychologically manipulative, so I thought I'd give it a go. 
> 
> TW: Slight mentions of predatory behaviour but no graphic depictions.
> 
> also follow me on tumblr!  
> https://stark-kitty24.tumblr.com/

If you asked Peter what his favourite thing about being Spiderman was, he would definitely say enhanced strength and speed. Ironically, it’s also the very thing that makes gym class his least favourite part of the day because it’s the only class where he’s forced to be lame, _on purpose_ and nothing annoys him more than giving his rival, Flash, more reasons to feel superior.

Also, falling off of climbing ropes is not doing his rivalry any favours.

Any other day, Peter could stick the landing with no problem but this time, just before he hits the ground, he intentionally stumbles on his foot to keep up appearances. His ankle protests at the movement and it stings a little bit, but not more than the arrogant smirk on Flash’s face as he shoves past the smaller boy. Gently massaging the spot where their shoulders collided, Peter’s attention shifts to the hand on his other shoulder where sees his best friend, Ned, standing behind him.

Ned had been on the sidelines for today’s gym class, having just returned from the nurse’s office because of a stomach bug. Peter had noticed his friend wasn’t feeling well all morning and when he confronted him about it, Ned convinced him he was fine. He practically had to beg his “guy in the chair” to go see the school nurse after an especially nasty round of nausea.

He’s glad to see some colour return to Ned’s face.

“Hey man, what’d the nurse say?”

Ned shrugs his shoulders softly, his face still gaunt and hollow from all the vomiting. A brief flash of pity rolls through Peter, remembering the days when he was prone to such illnesses too. After the spider bite, sick days have become a bit of an anomaly except for the occasional sensory overload and now chronic migraines.

“Ah, she said it’s definitely viral and that I should go home.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Peter would have high tailed it out of here by now.

“I’m…not sure. I think I came here on autopilot,” Ned replies. The look on his face is one of confusion but he smiles at the silliness of his own actions as Peter laughs softly next to him.

“You’re really weird, dude.” 

The two friends continue talking for another minute when their coach calls on all the students to start cleaning up. Glancing at the clock, Peter sees that the class is almost over and considering it’s the last one before schools out, he’s suddenly more excited to get out of here. Saying a quick farewell to Ned, they both part ways as Peter heads over to get changed.

Nearing the doors to the locker room, he can hear the guys from his class talking and yelling among themselves on the other side, and internally debates whether going in now is a good idea or if it’s worth waiting for the others to leave. This normally wouldn’t be a problem for Peter as he’s not typically concerned with what other’s think of him, but lately there’s been a strange amount of attention directed at him by _everyone_ , making him increasingly nervous around his classmates.

The decision gets taken out of his hands when Coach Wilson tells him to hurry up and get changed, so he hurriedly pushes through the doors. The yelling and shouting that he’d heard from outside gets ten times louder as soon as he enters, worsened by his abnormal sensitivity to sound thanks to his spider powers. Peter tries to push further into the room as quietly as he can, hoping the other guys are too busy with their ab contests to notice him, but when has anything gone the way he wanted it to?

An aggressive hand grips his shoulder tightly, turning him around to face a tall, skinny guy with brown hair and a very unflattering lip ring. Peter’s seen the guy hanging around in the hallway with a bunch of other no name jocks, but he’s never actually spoken to him and hasn’t had a reason to.

Apparently, that’s changed.

The guy (who he cleverly decides to call Lip Ring) doesn’t say anything and just silently holds him by the shoulder, eyes boring into his with an intensity that might burn a hole in his forehead. He’s beginning to get nervous, and _extremely_ uncomfortable in this absurd situation, wanting nothing more than to change clothes and leave. When no one says anything for a few seconds longer, Peter opens his mouth to (maybe) kindly ask to be let go, but never gets the chance to when Lip Ring cuts him off.

“So, Parker. Is it true?”

Peter simply stares at the other boy, unfamiliar with what he could possibly be referring to.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

The taller boy leans over and gets right into his face, close enough that all Peter can focus on is the guy’s lip ring, which he distractedly notices to be a lot uglier up close than he initially thought.

“That you’re Stark’s _personal_ intern?”

A cold and heavy sensation settles at the pit of his stomach, thoughts scattering in his brain as his anxiety shoots to high levels. _Nothing_ about the implication there could mean anything good for him and with a sudden clarity, Peter begins to make sense of all the extra attention he’s been getting this past week.

He just wishes he knew where _anyone_ , let alone a guy he never talks to, would get an outrageous idea like _this_ one. 

Peter’s attention is called back to the present when Lip Ring squeezes his shoulder even harder, leaning closer to whisper in his ear.

“Well, it’s starting to make a lot more sense why they call you _Penis_ Parker.”

The pit in his stomach drops down several feet right before leaping up high into his throat, effectively choking him into silence. He squirms uncomfortably under the other guy’s scrutiny and attempts to break out of the grip entirely. Luckily, Lip Ring lets go, seemingly satisfied with Peter’s obvious discomfort, and takes this as his cue to step back.

Meanwhile, Peter finds himself unable to say anything, not even to defend himself or his self-image. He knows well enough by now that nothing he says will matter, especially when Lip Ring sounds pretty convinced already. A bitter taste sits on his tongue when he thinks about the inevitable fallout of this tomorrow.

When his attention snaps back into the room, it’s because the other guy has left, leaving Peter to stand alone in the locker room with his hands violently shaking as tears of shame pool in his eyes. He doesn’t even know why he feels ashamed, it’s not like he’s guilty of anything the guy accused him of, let alone _that._

But he knows that’s not really the reason because what bothered Peter the most wasn’t the physical act of intimidation, or even the fact that he’d been accused of something so crude. It was the feeling of being in the dark, as if Lip Ring knew something that he didn’t, and it makes him wonder how many more ‘Lip Ring’s he’s going to run into tomorrow.

Quickly wiping his eyes, millions of questions run through his mind as he hears the words replay in his head. He doesn’t notice where he is or that he’d started walking towards the front entrance of the school, all he can focus on is that guy’s voice in head and his words sounding more threatening each time. When his feet trip on the bottom steps of the school entrance, Peter suddenly recalls the last thing Lip Ring said.

_It’s starting to make a lot more sense why they call you Penis Parker._

_Why **they** call you Penis Parker. _

**_Penis_ ** _Parker._

Flash. This _has_ to be Flash’s doing, nobody else has ever called him that. Peter’s shame and humiliation gives way to anger and confusion. Anger at Flash for spreading such rumours and confused as to why, because while he and Flash seldom got along, the other boy never went beyond name calling.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Peter refocuses on the present. He’s extremely thankful that today’s not a lab day with Mr. Stark and that Happy’s not waiting for him outside. He doesn’t think he could face Mr. Stark without being reminded of his awful encounter today, not that he thinks Mr. Stark would ever, _ever,_ be involved in something that inappropriate but he figures it won’t do his image any favours to be seen getting personal rides from the billionaire’s own driver.

Peter decides to keep some distance for now. Mr. Stark’s a busy man, surely he’ll appreciate some time devoted to his own projects instead of wasting it with a lame kid from Queens. Maybe if he can make enough excuses, he can wait out this nightmarish rumour and it’ll all blow over in a couple of weeks.

Yeah, he can do a couple of weeks with no lab time.

Heading in the direction of the nearest subway, Peter plugs his headphones in to distract himself and sends a quick text to Happy about an assignment and test coming up at the end of the week. There isn’t an assignment or test, but he figures it’s just believable enough to buy him some time. Tucking his phone away in the pocket of his jeans, he heads down the subway entrance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like they say, there's always a calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! Also, this was originally going to be 3 chapters but I've extended it to 4 because I sort of revamped the plot. :| soml 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: http://stark-kitty24.tumblr.com/

Busy days are sort of few and far between for Tony recently and when he does have the occasional busy day, it’s the kind to bury him deep in work for hours.

This is how he finds himself 32 hours later, snapped into the present by the sound of his stomach grumbling loudly. Tony hadn’t realized how long he had spent bent over the table and when he gets up to stretch, his back almost gives out from the pain.

_God, I’m getting old._

Upstairs in the kitchen, Tony fixes himself a quick lunch (or dinner, he’s not exactly sure what time it is and hasn’t really checked), when he gets a text from Happy. Still intensely focused on the sandwich, he absentmindedly phishes for his phone from his pocket and sets it next to the plate in front of him. He leisurely taps on the text bubble but there’s a few seconds of delay before he fully comprehends what he’s reading.

| _The kid said he can’t make it to lab today again, boss. Want me to “follow up”?_

Tony lets out an exasperated sigh and loses immediate interest in his lunch. Running a tired hand down his face, he thinks back to Peter’s recent and frequent absences. This is the fourth time the kid has turned down a lab day and while he’s never encouraged Peter to prioritize Spiderman over school work, it’s been a lot more frequent lately.

It all started last week when Peter texted Happy that he had a test and assignment to work on and wouldn’t be joining for his weekly lab visits. At first, Tony thought nothing of it because there really was nothing to worry about. It wasn’t uncommon for the kid to get busy with the occasional school-related task, and out of fear of Aunt Hottie, he tried not to give the kid a hard time about it, even if it was to tease him about it.

But after the third no-show, Tony started getting a little suspicious about Peter’s reasoning. Sure, it could just as well be school-related, but it wasn’t like him to fall so behind his studies that it took weeks to catch up. No kid gets into a school for gifted children on a scholarship unless they have a solid work ethic and grades to back them up. There’s no way that someone as brilliant as Peter is falling so far behind when it isn’t even finals’ season.

Tony may be old but he remembers being a student, and the school excuses are just not matching up. 

Last week when Peter had stood him up for a third time on lab day, Tony decided to give him one more chance to show his face before needing to intervene. As an extra cautionary measure, he also instructed Happy to keep an eye on the kid and to check in on him more frequently than normal, especially on Spiderman’s patrols, and to follow up with it.

Of course, by “follow up”, what he really meant was for Happy to stalk Peter and report back to him with any notable details. Happy seemed a bit put off by the idea at first but Tony brushed it off, saying that he’s not going to confront the kid about it because it was “too dangerously close to caring”.

He also considered for a while that Peter might be struggling with something Spiderman related but didn’t find anything outwardly concerning when he looked through Karen’s footage. Tony didn’t think telling Peter that he checks up on him through Karen is something the teen will appreciate, and wisely made the decision to keep that to himself unless absolutely necessary. Peter already hated being treated like a child, and if there’s one thing Tony’s learned about him is that he’s extremely protective of his image.

Hell hath no fury like Peter Parker with a curfew.

After the Vulture incident, Tony learned to respect the kid’s boundaries more because he remembers how scary it was to fight people and crime when he first started out as Iron Man, completely unused to the feelings and consequences of heroism. Those fears are undoubtedly amplified for a fifteen-year-old who hasn’t fully hit puberty yet.

Shoving the sandwich to the side, Tony shoots his driver a quick text to “follow up” with Peter while he devises the best way to approach him about it. Whether he wants to admit it or not, the genius knows he’s going to have a conversation with Peter at some point, especially if this behaviour persists any longer.

He just really needs his intern back and it’s definitely not because he misses him, there’s just a lot of work to be done.

Brought out of his musings by the vibration of his phone, Tony quickly replies to Happy’s text and pockets his phone before heading for his bedroom. Contrary to what many people think, he’s not dismissive of his hygiene, he just _forgets_ to shower every so often. How is he supposed to remember mundane things like eating and showering when there are gadgets to be tinkered with and little teenage vigilantes to be monitored?

~~Line Break (Yeah, I said it)~~

The only thing that Peter learned in the weeks following his locker room encounter was that teenagers are nothing if not hungry for gossip. And with Ned away for an entire week with a nasty stomach bug, he was left alone to deal with the fallout.

It didn’t help that even MJ was away on a family trip and wouldn’t be back for another week, though she was there to witness the first few days of the disaster that followed.

It all started with the day after his encounter with Lip Ring.

_When he walks into the school building, the very first thing he notices is how the staring has gotten significantly worse, namely that no one is trying to hide it anymore._

_This makes the trek to his locker a dangerous one, with people snickering loudly when he passes by them as others whisper indiscreetly. It feels like he’s surrounded, locked in a circle of predatory students waiting for him to turn his back so they can pounce. He tries to pay it no mind, awkwardly opening up the door to his locker and grabbing the textbooks he needed, while silently praying that the other students have become bored of his false apathy._

_Instead when he shuts the locker door, he senses a familiar body sidle up to him alarmingly close as a hand settles on his shoulder. The gesture is meant to **look** friendly but Peter knows something sinister lays beneath, only confirmed by the malicious smile on Flash’s face when he finally looks at him. _

_“So Penis, heard you almost got into a fight yesterday. Gotta say, that’s not really your style,” Flash teases._

_Peter suspects that Flash knows very well what happened in the locker room, likely having recruited Lip Ring to do his ‘bidding himself’, but says nothing of it. In all the years of being bullied by his rival, Peter learned which buttons not to push in an argument, and talking back was a huge one. He made that mistake once when they first met and now knows better than to respond to verbal bait with sarcasm._

_But it’s not like Flash would ever hit him for talking back because, for all his verbal aggression and childish taunting, he never gets physically violent._

_Dismally turning to face his tormentor, Peter shrugs out of the other boy’s grasp while tightening his hold on his textbooks._

_"It wasn’t a fight, Flash. We were just talking.”_

_“Riiight. Talking. Kind of like how everyone’s talking about your **internship**. I’ve heard some really interesting stories, you know.” _

_“Are you sure **you** weren’t the one to tell them?”_

_Okay, so he **knows** better than to sass back but that doesn’t mean he’s **smart** about it. _

_Flash moves closer into his personal space, crowding him against the wall of lockers as Peter becomes acutely aware of the attention being directed towards them. There are so many eyes on him that he’s certain Flash won’t try anything violent **now** , right? _

_“Are you accusing me of something, **Penis**?” _

_For a moment, Peter is scared that Flash really is about to deck in him squarely in the face, but is fortunately spared from finding out when their audience suddenly flees like a swarm of rats. Momentarily distracted by everyone’s dispersal, Flash moves far enough that Peter can swiftly maneuver out of the way, already preparing to bolt in the direction of homeroom. His attempt at freedom is interrupted by none other than Principal Morita, however, who Peter thinks is the reason everyone else scattered so hastily in the first place, and is now blocking his only escape._

_Flash, on the other hand, gets away clean, already disappearing down the hall before Principle Morita can stop him._

_Of course, that just leaves Peter to pick up the slack. It seems like the other man realizes this too for he sighs loudly and appraises Peter questionably._

_“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what all the fuss was about, Mr. Parker?”_

_Peter simply shrugs his shoulders in an attempt to seem indifferent and redirect suspicion away from **him** , but is only marginally successful. Principal Morita’s face adopts an air of annoyance, likely irritated by the commotion in the first place. _

_“It was nothing, sir. We were just talking,” he says._

_The older man simply nods his head though he doesn’t look convinced in the slightest._

_“Hm, yes. There seems to be a lot of that happening,” he cryptically offers._

_Saying nothing more, the principle walks past Peter, not even acknowledging the absurdity of his comments. It leaves a bitter taste in the boy’s mouth, just like yesterday when Lip Ring accused him of unseemly behaviours._

_Deciding to let it go for the moment, Peter slowly starts walking towards homeroom, sorely wishing his best friend wasn’t away sick._

After that, it turned out that Flash’s little display of dominance was the only form of confrontation to happen moving forward. Surprisingly, Peter saw very little of Flash outside of his classes for a while, though the other boy still teased him mercilessly _during_ class time. Thankfully, he didn’t have very many classes with him, so it was nice to get a break from him more often.

The other great thing to happen was Ned, who had finally returned after four days of being sick and remaining glued to his side. Peter could never express how grateful he is for a best friend like Ned, a constant buffer between the outside world and his social incompetence. The one week spent without him was brutal for both Peter _and_ Spiderman, highlighting all the reasons why their friendship has stood the test of time.

So it’s safe to say that Peter is just really, _really_ glad to have his support system back, but that didn’t mean everything was right again.

While things had gotten kind of quiet at school, the constant staring and whispering never really went away. It persistently put Peter on edge, his spider-sense ever-present as a constant buzz on the back of his neck, strong enough to keep him alert but also subtle enough for him to ignore it.

To make matters even worse, he had been skipping lab days with Mr. Stark for the past three weeks, making the same excuse each time. It’s becoming apparent to Peter that he’s quickly running out of excuses, having blamed tests and assignments in the last three excuses he made, and that if he doesn’t come up with something new, he’ll have another problem on his hands by the name of Tony Stark.

He knows this because Happy has been asking a lot of questions lately, ones that Peter could accuse him of caring for. For one, he’s always asking him about patrol, which is the biggest and only red flag Peter needs to confirm the other man is fishing for clues. Happy never, _ever_ initiates conversation with him, let alone anything related to Spiderman, so he’s absolutely certain that Mr. Stark has put him up to something.

Not to mention that Peter is well acquainted with Mr. Stark’s personal brand of paranoia (please refer to Baby Monitor Protocol), and isn’t naive enough to believe that his mentor hasn’t been keeping an eye on him already. Fortunately, he’s confident that the man won’t find anything because Karen isn’t with him at school, which is the _one_ place he doesn’t need Mr. Stark to be.

If anyone found out that his relationship with the genius is a lot closer than an intern, then those rumours aren’t going anywhere. No matter that they’d be _dead wrong_ but Peter’s not sure he could deal with such an implication if were to become anything more than speculation, like it is now.

This brings him to the present moment, leaning by his locker as he waits for Ned to join him so they can walk to Delmar’s. The hallways are empty, with most students having gone home for the day, leaving Peter and a few stray students milling about.

As he waits for his best friend, Peter’s attention shifts to his phone that just lit up from a text. Unlocking the screen, he sees a text from Happy.

| _Hey kid, where are you? I’ve been waiting for 2 whole mins! Hurry your ass up!_

Stricken with panic, Peter pockets his phone and rushes to the school entrance. He completely forgot that today was a lab day and hadn’t told Happy to not pick him up, even though that’s not his first concern. What’s he’s truly worried about is how Tony Stark’s _personal_ car driven by his _personal_ chauffeur parked in front of his _intern’s_ school is going to reinforce the already distasteful rumours being spread about him. If anyone got a glimpse of Peter near that car, things are going to go beyond rumours and that’s just not something he’s looking forward to.

Once he’s outside, Peter slows his run to a casual pace, attempting to seem nonchalant and unhurried. Approaching Happy with a false smile, he stops a foot away from the other man while subtly looking around for witnesses.

Happy notices this and gives the kid a strange look, clearly perplexed by his strange behaviour.

“C’mon kid, stop wasting time and get in the car. Boss is waiting.”

“Uh, I can’t make it to the lab today, I have a lot of work.”

The other man pauses for a minute, staring at Peter intensely as the kid looks everywhere but at Happy. Clearly he’s lying, as evidenced by the obvious discomfort seen in his posture. Deciding that now is the time to confront him, Happy wastes no time getting to the heart of the matter.

“Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second, and neither will Tony when you explain to him why you almost didn’t show up, _again._ ”

The kid sighs in exasperation, gearing up for an argument he knows he’ll lose. If Peter’s smart, he’ll simply accept his fate and get in the car, but things are never simple with him.

“Can’t you just come up with something to tell Mr. Stark? I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

“You can make it up to my right now by getting in the car,” says Happy, gesturing towards the passenger door.

“Happy!”

“Listen kid, I don’t know what’s gotten into you but whatever it is, you’re better off explaining it to the boss.”

Peter opens his mouth to argue but Happy is quick to cut him off.

“Nuh huh! In the car. Now.”

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Peter trudges towards the passenger seat as he shoots a quick text to Ned, apologizing for ditching him. Happy is already rounding the front of the car to get to the driver’s seat as Peter pulls the door open, neither of them hearing the soft click of a camera going off behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is going to happen? I'm curious to know!
> 
> Side note: please forgive me, I'm bad at writing reasonably long chapters.


End file.
